Quilting on the Edge

Landside Journal 13: So Many Thoughts

Today while showering I had so many thoughts bouncing around in my mind, that for the first time ever I felt compelled to write them down.  I mean I literally went to find my journal notebook right after I dried off from the shower so I wouldn't forget what had entered my mind.  It seemed they were all GOOD ideas, and I didn't want to forget them. Here goes:  1.  The smells of autumn in the air were so strong and prominent as I walked this morning outside.......I was amazed at the memories these aromas brought forth to my consciousness while I walked. I supposed that even if I could not see, the nose alone would tell you it was fall.  2.  How does one stay relevant as they age?   I mean in the sense of still mattering to others.  Does anyone keep caring what you care about or think about? Or do you become just someone who USED to make a difference but no longer is sought after for conversation or advice to any degree that matters.  Relevance.  3.  Do you need to have goals in life or is it enough just to drift along, doing what you want as the thought arises?  Will you suffer from no sense of accomplishment without goals, nothing to check off a list, mental or on paper?  4. Today is Sunday, and I usually make it a point to take my mother out of Assisted Living on Sunday for a ride, cemetery visit to my Dad, maybe just a brief trip to pick up essentials from Walgreen's.  Today I am having her to our place for supper.......figuring it would be a nice change from her usual meal fare and a chance to be somewhere else for a few hours.  I don't always feel like doing this, but I feel a sense of responsibility to do it.  Sometimes I think what it will be like if it were me in Assisted Living,  how something simple like I do would have a lot of meaning if it were done for me.  Am I keeping her relevant?   5.  Is there a pattern to my quiltmaking............a style?  I've noticed I seem to be drawn to fabric with lines, usually uneven lines or curved lines, not straight lines as in striped fabrics.  I realized that much of my recent work has involved linear fabrics or linear stitching on other fabrics.....I just purchased another yard of fabric recently that when I saw it at the fabric store, I grabbed it without a second thought, and without any idea of what to do with it.  I'm working on a small art quilt now with that fabric.......I'll post it next.  I guess that's it for random thoughts in the shower........I was all over the place this morning it seems, and now I'm here.   Have a good Sunday!

Easy Design Wall for Quilt Making

Having a design space or wall to work on when designing a quilt is necessary for me........It allows me to try placement of the pieces in different locations, create compositions, and stand back and look at them and perhaps take a photo to see how the quilt is coming along. I don't  have a large studio like I suspect many quilter's don't.  I work in a spare bedroom in our condo, and this room can be called into use for it's orginal reason, housing a guest for the night. So I needed something easy to use and easy to remove if necessary.  So this is the idea I came up with and am very happy since it works so great!  Above is a photo of a quilt hanging on the wall in my studio.  By the way, all the fabrics of this quilt were painted by me, to create a piece with many different leaves.  For a design wall, I cover this quilt with a piece of warm and natural batting which I pin to this quilt on the edges. Here is a photo of that.  I particularly like this batting since anything I lay on it sticks without needing pins. Easy to move around the pieces too!  In my case, this surface remains in place almost all the time over the quilt beneath........but it can be removed at a moment's notice if needed.  I think this is an  excellent method for those using multipurpose rooms for their sewing studio.  No boards to move around, easily available, and it works!!!  try it.....you may like this method too. And sometimes I just remove the batting so I can enjoy the quilt underneath just for the fun of it.  If by chance you need to remove the batting but have a project on it in progress, you could pin your pieces in place and remove the batting and roll or fold it to put away until you can get back to work.  My design surface measures about 40 by 45 inches. 

Landside Journal 12: The White Barn is Red

Yesterday I drove by "our ole homestead" and there was the big old 100 year old white barn............painted red.  But I was prepared for this, as a friend had told me about it a while back, and as we drove up near the property, I had my eyes peeled sharply to the left to see what I was sure would be a sad sight.  A little history....we raised our four sons on this property, in a white country home, with a large white barn that housed our vehicles, mowers, many litters of kittens, bikes, all kinds of assorted tools and just stuff,  and even a gift shop in an attached shed.  So, there's a LOT of history in that barn, and I'm sure the guys have stories to tell that even I don't know about, probably best that I don't know all of them I'm sure.  We sold the place 11 years ago as we downsized..........and have watched the property change in new ownership, but I had never considered that the barn could be painted!  I am surprised to say that is looks pretty good!  It's not a candy apple red, but the proverbial "barn red", which reminds you of red mixed with brown, or a brick color.   What has happened is that the barn has now receded in amongst the trees........it is no longer prominent as you drive by. It has a feeling of coolness......hidden among the tree limbs and leaves.  I imagine that in winter with the trees bare, it will stand out more against the white snow than it does now.  I'm anxious to see how the barn appears with all the colors of the autumn leaves.........maybe it will blend into the surroundings even more.  All things considered, I guess I'll never look at that property again the same as I have in the past. Maybe now I'll realize once and for all that is really isn't ours anymore, altho I already knew that, right?  I do know it's not the place, it's the memories OF the place that stay with you.  Here's to the new red barn!

Fiber Art Play

Lately I've been restless and unable to create my quilt art to my satisfaction, so I decided to try some fiber art.  Here's the result.  I used watersoluble stabilizer, in between two sheets of it I carefully laid out strips of different yarns, both horizontally and vertically.  I pin the whole mess together then machine sewed through the stabilizer in a tight wavy stitch pattern, again in both direction.  This step is necessary to hold the fibers together in a unified hole.  Off to  the sink is the next step, for a cold water bath.  This dissolves the stabilizer, it may take a few baths to remove all the gumminess from the fibers. Voila!  You have an original piece of airily woven fibers.  My piece is about 7 inches wide and 20 inches long.  It would make a great wall piece in a narrow spot of a bedroom or bath.  Try it!

Journal Quilt Returned from 2007 International Quilt Festival

 My Journal Quilt "Letting Go" has been returned today from appearances at the International Quilt Show in 2007 in Houston, Long Beach, California, and Chicago.  I had almost forgotten about it, but here it is and I'm happy to have it back.  I was expressing the feeling of "letting go" I feel when I spend part of the year on Anna Maria Island in Florida.  You can probably see my references to water and the sense of letting go. The bits of angelina fibers were used to create reflections in the background, similar to the glints of sun off the gulf waters.  The firefly is fabric adhered to Timtex, and creates a raised effect on the quilt.  Hope you enjoy it! Chris